Movie filmed in Castlegar B.C. opens Friday

CASTLEGAR — After more than two years, the movie filmed in and around Castlegar B.C. is finally coming to a theatre near you this weekend.

Hollow in the Land starring Dianna Agron will be released on Friday, Jan. 26 across Canada including showings in Castlegar, Calgary, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Halifax, Montreal and Toronto.

The film will also be released on iTunes the same day.

Castlegar native Scooter Corkle, who wrote and directed the film will be at the Castlegar opening at Kootenay Centre Cinemas on Friday night for the 6:45 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. showings. He will be joined by producers Jesse Savath and Marlaina Mah and editor Aynsley Baldwin.

After each of those showings, the audience will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A session with Corkle. The group will also be in and out of the Lion’s Head Pub to hang out with fans. There will also be some swag giveaways at the screenings including items such as backpacks and posters.

“I am really excited, but I am really nervous at the same time,” said Corkle about his feelings leading up to the home-town reveal of his work. “This is going to be the biggest screening the movie will have.”

Hollow in the Land has already been shown at several film festivals and Corkle was able to sit with the audience during the screening at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

“It was the first time I felt like I was watching the movie again as a moviegoer instead of a filmmaker — which was nice,” said Corkle.

“You can really feel people reacting — when they are tense, you can feel the tension. When there is something for people to laugh at — you can laugh with them. I was just reacting with the audience for the first time since making the movie and that felt really good.”

“I think this one [opening in Castlegar] is going to be even more so in that field. Giving back to everybody is going to be really fun.”

But Corkle is looking forward to having the movie done and moving on to new projects.

“Because I have been with it for so long,” he said. “But it is also going to be bittersweet. It is the last thing we look forward to, but it is the biggest thing in our lives.”

For the writer and director, the opening marks the end of the film — but for moviegoers, it marks the beginning.

“There is no better place to do it than in the ‘Gar,” added Corkle. “I think people are going to freak out for it.”

After several film festival screenings, Hollow in the Land received reviews in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.

New York Times writer Monica Castillo describes the movie as “set in a remote small town in Canada” and compared the movie to the Jennifer Lawrence film Winter’s Bone, “This movie is not as tense, but it gets close thanks to Ms. Agron’s resolute performance and the movie’s hostile small town setting.”

The Los Angeles Times called it an “earthy Canadian small-town thriller … it’s a well-told story, with a strong sense of place.”

The review also included praise of Corkle, “Plus, as someone who spent a decade working in crews of over two dozen low-budget productions, Corkle has a rare command of craft. His narrative is slim, but it’s delivered unpretentiously, with an understanding that a good cast and a vivid locale preclude any need to get flashy.”

“It is a Kootenay movie — it feels like a Kootenay movie,” explained Corkle. “One piece of feedback we got from everybody across the board was that it feels lived in. They really feel like they understand and have been to Castlegar after it’s done.”

Watch for familiar landmarks in the film from Castlegar, Pass Creek, Thrums, Robson and Ootischenia.

If you had a hand in any of the local scenes — make sure you pay attention to the “Special Thanks” at the end of the movie.

“Without everybody that is going to that screening — that movie would have never happened,” said Corkle. “Our ‘Special Thanks’ is the longest ‘Special Thanks.’”

“I’m hoping I didn’t miss anybody.”

The movie will play at the Kootenay Centre Cinema for a week, if there is still a demand at the end of the week, the run may be extended.

“We are going to be there, it’s going to be fun, everyone should come,” concluded Corkle.

Castlegar native Scooter Corkle has written and directed a film called Hollow in the Land. (Betsy Kline/Castlegar News)
Castlegar native Scooter Corkle has written and directed the film Hollow in the Land which will be opening in Castlegar this weekend. (Betsy Kline/Castlegar News)